“Early Childhood: The Gateway to
Student and School Success”
Presentation by:
Rhea Williams-Bishop
August 29, 2012
Dropout Prevention & Special Education Conference
Jackson, MS
Education + Innovation = Transformation
Presentation Overview
 Vision and Mission of MSCEI
 MSCEI’s Work in Early Education
 Early Childhood Development and Learning ECE 101
 Using Title I to Finance Early Childhood Programs
 Q and A
MSCEI History
 Established in 2008 in the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina
 Tasked with assisting MDE in meeting its goals
 Focus specifically on the MS Delta Promise school
districts (14 school districts/communities)
 Funded primarily by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Our Vision
The Center for Education Innovation envisions a
Mississippi in which all of its children become
productive citizens of a global society in the 21st
century.
Education + Innovation = Transformation
Our Mission
The Center for Education Innovation supports and
connects families, early learning environments, schools
and communities to resources, technical assistance,
and best practices that prepare vulnerable children to
become productive members of a global society.
Education + Innovation = Transformation
Leadership
Development
& School
Improvement
Building
Support for
Public
Education
Center’s
Focus
Areas
Community,
Family &
School
Engagement
Teacher
Quality &
Student
Achievement
Child
Development
& Early
Learning
Education +
Innovation =
Transformation
Program Pathways
 Leading, Teaching, and Learning for Excellence
 Community, Family, and School Engagement
 Early Childhood Development and Learning
Overarching Goals
1) Support children’s academic readiness for Pre-K
through 12th grade
2) Promote a culture and climate that supports and
demands excellence in education
3) Confront the underlying challenges that hinder
academic excellence (i.e. health, poverty, equity, etc.)
4) Inform and impact education policy
Primary Sites of Focus Areas
Child Development and Early Learning
Jackson Metro Area and Sunflower County (Indianola School
District, Drew School District, and Sunflower School
District)
Community, School, and Family Engagement
Bolivar County (North Bolivar School District and West
Bolivar School District)
Leading, Teaching, and Learning for Excellence
Greenwood and Holly Springs
National Affiliations/Models/Best
Practice Programs
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CLASS
NBCDI
NROPI
TEACH/WAGES
High Scope Ready Schools
Assessment
Play Works
HIPPY
Reach Out and Read
Positive Parenting Program
Early Developmental
Instrument
Watch, Know, Learn
Teach Up
Everfi
 Voices for America’s Children
 Communities In Schools
 COSEBOC
Urgent Issue Areas
Other issue areas that we are compelled to address due to the urgent nature
of the direct impact on students and schools:
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Conservatorship process
K – 12 Education Policy
Early Education Policy
Impact of Charter Schools and Consolidation
P-16 Process
Common Core training and preparation
Dropout Prevention
Opting in or out of higher level classes
State Subject Area Testing
Examining the growing district concerns re: Teach for America
Lack of/Quality of Professional Development for current/existing teachers
Need for more extensive school board training
Leadership
Community Engagement
Partners
Education + Innovation = Transformation
Building
Support
Center’s
Focus
Areas
Community
Engagement
Early
Learning
Teacher
Quality
Leadership
Building Support for
Education
Building
Support
Center’s
Focus
Areas
Community
Engagement
Early
Learning
 Goal: To build public will to support public education and
early childhood education by implementing well designed
programs and strengthening collaborative partnerships that
can be replicated statewide.
 Highlights:
 Education Matters Infomercials and Public Awareness
Campaign
 Supporting school districts in conservatorship
 Commissioned Godwin Group Early Education Survey
 Addressing education policy issues
Education + Innovation = Transformation
Teacher
Quality
Leadership
Building
Support
Early Childhood
Development and Learning
Center’s
Focus
Areas
Community
Engagement
Early
Learning
 Goal: To ensure that all entities involved in the education of
young children are working together on their behalf,
garnering, and leveraging resources for the maximum
benefit to all children.
Education + Innovation = Transformation
Teacher
Quality
Leadership
Early Childhood
Development & Learning
Building
Support
Center’s
Focus
Areas
Community
Engagement
Early
Learning
 Highlights:
 Mississippi Learning Lab development of a strategic plan
 Growth of business community support for early education
 Building a state-wide movement for young children and their
families
 Allies for Quality Care Program
 Building on the work of SPARK MS
 Major player in the field of early education
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Member of the State Early Childhood Advisory Council
Mississippi Building Blocks advisory board member
Mississippi Low Income Childcare Initiative board member
Excel by 5 board member
Education + Innovation = Transformation
Teacher
Quality
Leadership
Building
Support
Supporting Partnerships to
Assure Ready Kids (SPARK MS)
Center’s
Focus
Areas
Community
Engagement
 SPARK early education efforts are ongoing through
Center support
 Continuing to target vulnerable children ages 0-8,
their parents, community-based organizations, childserving institutions, and business leaders
 Maintaining past gains acquired in the original five
SPARK-MS school district catchment areas of
Cleveland, Hollandale, Mound Bayou, North Bolivar
and Pearl
 Expansion districts include: West Bolivar, West
Tallahatchie, Humphreys County, and Clarksdale
Early
Learning
Teacher
Quality
Leadership
Building
Support
MS Learning Lab
Center’s
Focus
Areas
Community
Engagement
Early
Learning
 Overview: The MS Learning Lab (MSLL) was created
as a means of effectively addressing the early
education needs of MS children from birth to age
eight. The MSLL accomplishes this through the
ongoing coordination and networking of key agency
and individual stakeholders representing early
education efforts statewide. A strategic plan has been
designed to provide a viable context for outlining
current and future efforts that should result in the
development of a “formal” early education
infrastructure for MS.
Education + Innovation = Transformation
Teacher
Quality
Leadership
MS Learning Lab Partners
State Partners
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Alcorn State University
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Barksdale Reading Institute
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Children’s Defense Fund—Southern Regional Office
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Delta Council
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Delta Health Alliance
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Parent Campaign
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Excel by Five
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Hardin Foundation
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Jackson State University
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Kids Count Mississippi
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Mississippi Building Blocks
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Mississippi Department of Education
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Mississippi Department of Human Services -Division of Early
Childhood Care and Development
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Mississippi Head Start Association
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Mississippi Economic Council
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Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning
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Mississippi State University –
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Social Science Research Center
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Early Childhood Institute
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Extension Service
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Stennis Institute of Government
National Strategic Planning and Analysis
Research Center (nSPARC)
Building
Support
Center’s
Focus
Areas
Community
Engagement
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Early
Learning
Parents for Public Schools
State Early Childhood Advisory
Council
Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids—Mississippi
University of Mississippi – William Winter Institute
Mississippi Low Income Child Care Initiative
Fidelis Policy Group
Godwin Group
Chevron
National Partners
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W. K. Kellogg Foundation
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Birth to Five Alliance
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Ounce of Prevention Fund
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DCA, Inc.
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High Scope Foundation
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Dreyfus Foundation
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Augenblick, Palaich and Associates
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Insight Center for Community Economic Development
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Committee for Economic Development
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Fight Crime – Invest in Kids
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Mission Readiness
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UF Lastinger Center for Learning
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AIR - American Institutes for Research
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NACRRA - National Association of Child Care Resource &
Referral Agencies
Education + Innovation = Transformation
Teacher
Quality
Leadership
Statewide Early Education
Campaign
Building
Support
Center’s
Focus
Areas
Community
Engagement
Early
Learning
 Godwin group survey of 1,000 voting Mississippians
 Key messages developed by the Learning Lab
 Information sent out to all candidates for governor and
members of the legislature
 Planned activities through out the summer and fall
building up to the legislative session
 Culminated with press event and Day at the Capitol in
the February
Education + Innovation = Transformation
Teacher
Quality
Leadership
Building
Support
Allies for Quality Care
Center’s
Focus
Areas
Community
Engagement
Early
Learning
 Quality initiative serving 15 childcare centers: 75
infant, toddler and pre-k classrooms with a total
enrollment of 661* children located in Hinds and
Rankin Counties.
 $2.2 million dollar initiative funded by the Mississippi
Department of Human Services, Division of Early
Childhood Care and Development
 Collaborative effort between the Center for Education
Innovation, the Early Childhood Institute, the
Mississippi State Extension Service and Mississippi
Building Blocks
Education + Innovation = Transformation
Teacher
Quality
Leadership
Building
Support
Allies for Quality Care
(continued)
Center’s
Focus
Areas
Community
Engagement
Early
Learning
 Addresses the programmatic needs of child care centers
through evaluation and intense technical assistance.
Centers will be assisted with:
 (1) improve the learning environment in each classroom, as
evidenced by improved ITERS/ECERS scores,
 (2) improve the nutritional quality of food provided to
children, as evidenced by menus and shopping plans
approved by a nutrition specialist, and
 (3) develop operating budget for the program, including the
identification and implementation of available cost-saving
measures.
Education + Innovation = Transformation
Teacher
Quality
Leadership
Building
Support
Allies for Quality Care
(continued)
Center’s
Focus
Areas
Community
Engagement
Early
Learning
 A total of 137 staff members and will be provided with
a minimum of 6,030 total hours of technical assistance
- technical assistance is being provided by 8 Classroom
Technical Assistants, 3 Nutrition Advisors and 1
Business Advisor over a 12 month period of time.
 This year the program is expanding to serve more
centers in the Jackson metro area.
Education + Innovation = Transformation
Teacher
Quality
“It is easier to build
strong children
than to repair
broken men.”
- Frederick Douglass
Passing the Education Buck
 The college professor says: “Oh my, he’s unprepared and can’t keep pace - on him my
PhD is such a waste!”
 The high school teacher says: “They send him up so silly that it’s tragic and they expect
me to work some magic!”
 The middle school teacher says: “Poor boy, he’s such a fool what did they do in that
elementary school?”
 The elementary school teacher says: “These pre-schoolers are still green as green as
can be, honey.”
These parents really wasted their pre-school money.”
 The pre-school teacher says: “Gee, whiz no home training do I see, what kind of
mother must she be!”
 The mother says: “My poor child, it’s such a shame; his father’s folks are surely to blame!
“We cannot allow our children to fail in our schools, but we cannot allow our schools
to fail our children”
from comments made by Dr. Warner- former President of Grambling State University
during JSU EPhD Cohort 1 Orientation 2004
Developing the Workforce of 2025 begins
NOW
The child’s brain is NOT a
smaller version of an
adult brain.
 Neurons are not yet fully
insulated.
 Neurons are still moving
into positions.
 Synapse development is
exploding.
 Intelligence is a product of
both heredity and the
child’s interactions with
the environment.
Neurons: the brain’s building blocks
Born with 100 billion
Waiting to connect
Cell body, axon,
dendrites and
synapses
Making the Connection
This is REAL and PERMANENT
The Alternative…
Emotional and Language Development
 Emotions are set by the limbic system and prefrontal
lobes.
 Both lobes are developed and connected early in life
(8-18 months)
 A brain of a two year old is more active than that of her
pediatrician and of her teenage sister
 Language development occurs in stages-receptive
language first, then verbalization
Mississippi’s Public Kindergarten-How Does
it Fit?
Mississippi has been applauded for offering a full
day program in all school districts
Mississippi has been criticized for not requiring all
five year old children to attend if they are five years
old before the cut-off date for school enrollment
All of the kindergarten classes in public schools in
Mississippi are taught by a certified teacher
Research Speaks to the Importance of Early
Childhood
Center-based care raised IQ of young children by 15 points (normal range)
Control Group: 90
Center-based Program: 115
Research on High Quality Early
Childhood Education Indicates..
 It is one of the best economic investments that can be
made
 It is a major strategy in reducing school drop-outs
 It takes time to pay off, but results can be measured
after 3-5 years
 It helps children from economically depressed families
more than children from high resource families
And What is Happening to Our Children
NOW?
 A national study found that 60% of children living in
rural America enter kindergarten in special education
classes
 34% % of MS White 4th grade students and 70% of
Black students in 2005 were measured BELOW basic
achievement levels on the National Assessment of
Educational Progress Reading Test
How We Compare
 Mississippi has a collaborative pre-kindergarten
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program. $3 million dollars has been appropriated by
the MS legislature for R&R and QRIS. No formal
“system of early education”.
Arkansas is funded at over $100 million for their early
childhood program
Louisiana’s LA4 program is funded at $56.5 million
Alabama about $12 million
Georgia over $350 million
Tennessee nearly $100 million
Source: Pre [K] Now. (2006) Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2007.
Importance Candidates Share View
70
Very Important
25
Somewhat Important
All
5
Not Important
0
20
40
60
80
Q 27. How important is it to you that a political candidate in Mississippi share your point of view about
early learning opportunities for young children - is it very important, somewhat important, or not
important?
Influence of Facts on Support
Influence
15
90% of the human brain develops between birth and
age 5
More likely to graduate from high school and attend
college
Influence
18
Less likely to be unemployed, on welfare, or in
prison
Influence
16
Become more successful students with higher test
scores and fewer grade retentions
Influence
18
Have higher salaries as adults
Influence
17
Community will receive $7 in combined savings and
revenue for every $1 spent
Influence
17
0
10
Strongly Influence
65
Strongly Influence
62
Strongly Influence
61
Strongly Influence
61
Strongly Influence
54
Strongly Influence
46
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Q23-2. In regard to this fact, please tell me how much this information influences you to support efforts to
improve early learning opportunities for young children in Mississippi using a 1-to-5 scale where 1
means the information "has no influence at all" and 5 means the information "strongly influences"
you to support efforts to improve early learning opportunities for young children in Mississippi.
ONE Best Reason to Support
90% of the human brain develops between birth and
age 5
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More likely to graduate from high school and attend
college
22
Less likely to be unemployed, on welfare, or in
prison
22
Become more successful students with higher test
scores and fewer grade retentions
8
Have higher salaries as adults
5
Community will receive $7 in combined savings for
every $1 spent
5
11
Unsure
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Q24. Which one of those facts about early learning for children do you feel is the best reason to support an
early learning initiative in Mississippi? (If necessary, read list below.)
Why Look to Title I for Preschool
Financing?
 Title I is a flexible source of funding
 Title I funds may be layered with federal, state, or local
funds to provide high-quality preschool services for
additional children or to extend the day.
 Funds may supplement or expand existing early
education programs, including state-funded prekindergarten and Head Start, and may by used in
conjunction with community-based child care
programs.
41
Benefits of Using Title I for
Preschool
 Serve children from birth through age
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42
at school entry
Reach at-risk children in families with
incomes above poverty
Fund high-quality programs that meet
Head Start educational standards
Provide comprehensive services
Serve children in community-based
settings
Fund teacher professional
development
Title I Grants to States
 Title I funds are allocated to state education agencies
(SEAs) who distribute funds to local educational
agencies (LEAs) based on percentages of low-income
children. Funds are then distributed to schools within
Title I districts.
 Funding is based on the LEA’s percent of low-income
children ages 5 to 17.
 LEA determines what measure of need to use from a composite
of indicators
 Most districts use the percentage of students eligible for free or
reduced price school lunches
43
Title I Funds Services at the District
and School Level
 Schoolwide programs: Title I funds can be
used schoolwide if at least 40% of children in a
school are low-income.

90% of children served in Title I preschool attend
schoolwide programs
 Targeted-assistance programs: Title I funds
must be targeted toward disadvantaged
children if less than 40% of children in a school
are low-income.
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44
9% of children served in Title I preschool attend
targeted-assistance programs
How Can Title I be Used for
Preschool?
 At the district level
 Eligibility based on residence within district, or part of district,
and assessment of risk for meeting state academic standards as
determined by multiple, educationally-related, objective
criteria determined by state.

Income is used to prioritize, not determine, eligibility.
 At the school level
 Schoolwide programs: Eligibility based on residence within
the attendance area of the school.
 Targeted-assistance programs: Eligibility based on
assessment of risk for meeting state’s academic standards.
45
How Can Title I Funds Be Used for
Preschool?
 Title I funds can be used for preschool
or to supplement or expand other early
childhood education programs, such
as state-funded prekindergarten, Head
Start, Even Start, or Early Reading
First.
 Title I funds may be used in
conjunction with existing programs,
including community-based child care
programs, and the Child Care and
Development Block Grant.
46
How Can Title I be Used for Preschool?
 In addition to direct
educational services,
Title I funds can be used
to fund:
Teachers’ salaries
Professional development
Counseling services
Minor remodeling
Leasing or renting space in
private facilities
 Comprehensive services,
including access to medical
services
 Diagnostic screening
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Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, Title I
Preschool Education: More Children Served, but Gauging Effect
47
on School Readiness Difficult.
Title I Preschool Requirements
 Meet Head Start Standards
 Include a parental involvement component
 Title I programs using an Even Start model must integrate
ECE, adult literacy or adult basic education, and parenting
education into a family literacy program and must comply
with Even Start requirements
 In some Title I preschools, teachers must meet the NCLB
“highly qualified” standard
48
Highly Qualified Pre-Kindergarten
Teachers?
 Requirements “do not apply
to early childhood or pre-K
teachers unless a state
includes early
childhood/pre-K as part of
its elementary and
secondary school system.”
49
What Are the Components of HighQuality Preschool?
 Include requirements for how a program should operate in order to
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50
create the conditions and context for early childhood learning and
development
Sufficient funding to attract and retain well-trained and qualified
teachers
Professional development and training for teachers
Access to comprehensive health services, including diagnostic
screenings, for children who need them
Infrastructure supports to ensure quality
Strategies to help children manage transitions
Full-day/full-year options to support working families
Title I Stories: Every District is
Unique
51
District
Children Served
Title I Funds Used
History of
Investment
Chicago, IL
1,360 3- and 4-yearolds and their parents
$6 million in 2007
(2%)
1967-2007
Detroit, MI
2,800 4-year-old
children in HS and
state pre-k classes,
which include Title I
funds
$13 million in 2006
(9%)
Unknown-present
Pittsfield, MA
120 families of 2- and
3-year-olds; 72 4year-olds
$500,000 in 2005
(25%)
1970-2007
Houston, TX
131 full school-day
classes in 76 schools
and early childhood
centers
$17.4 million in 2006
(21%)
2004-present
Partnerships and Collaboration—Title I
Supports Transition to Kindergarten
 Title I requires LEAs to have a plan to
coordinate and integrate Title I with Even
Start, Head Start, and other preschool
programs, “including plans
for the transition of participants in such
programs to local elementary school
programs.”
 Gwinnet County, GA funds a district Title I
transition specialist and transition teams in
25 Title I elementary schools. A SPARK grant
and Title I funds support the transition work.
52
How’d They Do That?
The Story Behind Title I
Investments
 Resourceful school leaders
 Partnerships and collaborations
 Research and data to make the case for
investments
 Capitalizing on changes in state
policies and funding opportunities
 Leveraging all available funds
53
Title I Stories: Lessons Learned
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Build relationships with early childhood partners
Champion early education using research and data
Dollars are flexible
Build on existing resources in communities
Invest in coordinated district-wide solutions
Invest in early diagnostic assessment and program
evaluation
 Link vulnerable children and families to family
supports and health services
 Leverage state and federal funds—and capitalize on
funding opportunities.
54
How a Pre-K/K Classroom Should
Look (SPARK example)
Before
After
Questions to Ponder
 Is your school or district ECE ready?
 Do you have a well trained early childhood expert on your staff?
 Do you partner with Head Start and early childhood providers
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that are feeders to your elementary schools?
Do you offer joint training with these groups?
Are your pre-K – 3rd classrooms developmental appropriate?
Do you assess your Kindergarten students to find out where they
are – then provide specific interventions to ensure their
progress?
What is your kindergarten retention rate?
Do you equate more classroom time to more rigor?
MSCEI Staff
 Betty Bankhead, Office/HR Manager
 Angela Carson, Allies Business Manager
 Jeri Knapp, Allies Administrative Assistant/Communications
 Kate McMillin, Allies Collaboration Manager
 Koronda T. Smith – Allies Business Advisor
 Sharon Nettles – Allies Early Learning Specialist
 Babak Mostaghimi, Community, Family, & School Engagement
 Ilean Richards, Leading, Teaching, and Learning for Excellence
 Rhea Williams-Bishop, Executive Director/Director Early Childhood Development & Learning
Education + Innovation = Transformation
Education + Innovation = Transformation
The Center for Education Innovation
200 South Lamar Street, Suite 100-S
Jackson, MS 39201
www.mscei.com
601-354-3356 (O)
601-354-3738 (F)
“We are intentional about the work and
are approaching the work with a sense of
urgency: one student, one family, one
school, one community at a time.”
Rhea Williams-Bishop
Executive Director
CLASP Resources on Title I
Preschool
 Title I and Early Childhood Programs: A Look at Investments in the
NCLB Era
http://www.clasp.org/publications/ccee_paper2.pdf
 Recommendations to Support High-Quality Early Education Programs
Through Reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act
http://www.clasp.org/publications/nlcb_ee_recs.pdf
 Missed Opportunities? The Possibilities and Challenges of Funding
High-Quality Preschool Through Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act
http://www.clasp.org/publications/missed_opp.pdf
60
References
 Education Week (2007). Quality Counts 2007:From Cradle to Career.
 Federal Register, Vol. 71, No. 15, (January 2006). Poverty Guidelines. Pgs 3848-3849.
 Grace,C., Shores, E. Zaslow, M., Brown, B., Aufseeser, D., Bell, L. (2006). Childhood
Longitudinal Study: A Chartbook on Rural Disparities in Baseline Data of the Early
Childhood Longitudinal Study: A Chartbook. The National Center for Rural Early
Childhood Learning Initiatives, Mississippi State University.
 Mississippi Department of Health (2007). Child Care Licensure Data.
 Mississippi Department of Human Services (2006). Mississippi Child Care Quality Step
System.
 National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (2007).Child Care in
the State of Mississippi.
 National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (2007). We Can do
Better: NACCRRA’S Ranking of State Child Care Center Standards and Oversight.
 National Assessment of Educational Progress Reading Results for 2005, Grade 4,
Percentage of Students Below Basic Achievement Levels.
 Newsweek (Spring/Summer 1997) Your Child from Birth to Three, pp 30-31.
 Pre [K] Now (2006). Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal Year 2007.
 Shores, R. (1997). Rethinking the Brain. Work and Family Institute.